FSM boxer Chieng wins ANOC award

Prior to winning the 2015 Pacific Games Female Athlete of the Year during an Association of National Olympic Committees event in Washington, D.C., boxer Jennifer Chieng was presented a check for $25,000 from FSM Vice Speaker Berney Martin so she could continue training in New York in hopes of qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio.(Photo: Courtesy of FSMNOC)

FSM boxer Jennifer Chieng was presented an award for Best Female Athlete of the Pacific Games during an Association of National Olympic Committees (ANOC) event in Washington, D.C. last week.

Continental champions from all over the world were awarded at the ceremony and presenters included Olympic champion swimmers Ryan Lochte and Katie Ledecky and NBC track and field analyst Ato Boldon.

“It’s a surreal feeling; that’s the best way that I can describe it,” Chieng said on the phone from New York. “I started (boxing) pretty late so I guess looking back on everything that I’ve done that brought me to this point is what made the experience a great one.”

Chieng won a gold medal in the lightweight division at the 2015 Pacific Games in Papua New Guinea and is the No. 2 ranked amateur fighter in the U.S. Boxing 119-pound division.

She was born in Maryland and moved to Yap state when she was 4. Chieng, 28, now lives in New York and trains at Gleason’s Gym. While she tries to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio —she will fight at the AOB Asia/Oceania Olympic Games Qualifier in Qian’an, China, in March — Chieng said she is also hoping to build the boxing community in FSM.

“It’s a really young program and they’re trying to grow it in the area,” she said. “I’m hoping that what I’m doing will help in the effort. It’s needed, especially when it comes to the youth and the activities that they’re getting themselves into.”

Prior to the ceremony, Chieng was presented a $25,000 check from the FSM Congress to support her training in New York.

The awards event last week was the first time the ANOC honored female and male athletes from the five member continents together. The FSMNOC nominated Chieng for the award and the Oceania National Olympic Committee selected her from a group of six semifinalists.

The FSMNOC and Chieng were told about the award before the ceremony.

Chieng said the past few months has been an experience she “won’t soon forget” and it has helped build her confidence as she heads to the Olympic year.

“It means a lot to have the support of your country and people are rooting for you,” Chieng added. “It’s a very important motivational factor when you’re spending hours and hours training and going in there and fighting.”

Additional information was provided by press releases from the FSMNOC and the ANOC.

The link to the ANOC YouTube channel and video of the award ceremony can be found here.